


Royal Machinations

by im_the_king_of_the_ocean



Series: Nuts and Dolts Week 2020 [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, F/F, Mentioned Ruby Rose (RWBY), Nuts and Dolts Week (RWBY), Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23559940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/im_the_king_of_the_ocean/pseuds/im_the_king_of_the_ocean
Summary: Penny welcomes visiting nobility from Menagerie to the Kingdom of Mantle, attends a ball, and pines after her personal bodyguard.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose
Series: Nuts and Dolts Week 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1691983
Comments: 3
Kudos: 35





	Royal Machinations

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4: Combat Ready!
> 
> (this one has the weakest connection to its prompt if I’m being honest, but I still tried to fit it in there, more or less).

“Presenting her highness, Princess Blake Belladonna of Menagerie and Lady Yang Xiao Long of Patch!”The attendant announces as the two young women emerge from the escort car. 

Subconsciously, Penny straightens her posture and smooths her dress.She doesn’t need to, but, more than anything she wants to make a good impression on these two.

“Welcome to the City of Atlas,” Penny greets them, using her best Royal Voice (that still maintains some cheerfulness to it.All because she’s gone through numerous eloquence lessons, that doesn’t mean she can’t still sound _happy_ ).“I hope you enjoy your stay.”

Blake turns her gaze from examining her surroundings to Penny.She nods curtly.“I hope the negotiations go well too.”

Penny tries a smile.She gestures, and a few more attendants come forward.“Allow my people to take your things to a suite we’ve prepared.”She shoots a glance back at Lady Weiss, her handmaiden, who gives her an encouraging look, and then adds, “I know it’s colder here than in Menagerie.Please, don’t hesitate to ask if you need anything.”

“Of course.”Blake thins her lips.“I thank you for your concern, but we prepared fully before arriving.”

Penny tries not to wince.She maintains her Royal Demeanor, but internally she’s fidgeting.Befriending Blake will be just as hard as she anticipated.

“Hey, where’s Ruby?”Yang peers over Penny’s shoulder, and blatantly stares at her two guardsmen whodefinitely aren’t Ruby Rose.Blake elbows her sharply.Yang yelps, grunts, and then hastily rephrases to, “May I ask after the whereabouts of my sister, your majest—“ another jab from Blake “—Highness!Your _highness_!”

Blake sighs.She gives Penny an apologetic look.

Penny considers keeping formality and stating that ‘Guardsman Rose has been granted the afternoon off’, but Yang already broke the rules, so maybe she can too.“Ruby is not on duty right now.She—”

“Has decided not to greet her sister?Gotcha.”Yang folds her hands together behind her head.“Well, I’m gonna go find her.”She starts to wander away.“Have fun with your royal duty stuff.”

“Yang!” Blake snaps.“You can’t just wander around a foreign kingdom’s palace!”She glances at Penny.“I apologize.My fiancé isn’t quite accustom to proper formalities.”

“It’s quite alright,” Penny reassures, switching back to Speaking Like A Royal Should.Honestly, she doesn’t mind at all.Being prim and proper is something she _can_ be, with a lot of effort, but not something she _likes_ being.Penny would much prefer a casual conversation, but Blake has expressed preference for formalities.It was hard enough to get Menagerie to send a delegation in the first place, she’s certainly not going to risk things less than five minutes past their arrival.“With the distance between our kingdoms, it is understandable that Yang would miss her younger sister.” _Hopefully not enough to convince Ruby to leave with her_ , Penny thinks, but keeps to herself.

If Penny’s being honest, a part of her suspects that _that’s_ the reason Blake and Yang are here.It’s no secret that the Kingdoms of Mantle and Menagerie have always had a strained relationship.Despite Penny’s efforts into changing things, not much progress has been made.Penny wouldn’t be surprised if the princess and her fiancé aren’t really here to form alliances, but to convince Ruby to abandon her post and depart with them.

The idea makes Penny’s insides squirm.Not just because Ruby is her personal guard, but because, well, because Ruby means far more to her than just _that_.

Ruby is the first person who treated Penny like a _friend._ Okay, it took a while and soothing all of Ruby’s nerves about interacting with a royal regularly, but she still _was_.The idea of life without Ruby, without her smile or laugh or teasing, without the way she makes Penny feel special and not just because of her bloodline.The idea of being followed around all day by a bodyguard who wouldn’t stick out her tongue in the most improper of ways at the nobles’ backs after a particularly bad council meeting just to get a giggle out of Penny.The idea of losing someone Penny wants, more than anything, to give all the happiness in the world to.It’s _unbearable_ to think about.

There have been times when Penny has fantasized about challenging Yang to a duel over Ruby.It’s an outdated custom, sure, but if it would keep Yang from taking Ruby away from her… Penny’s self-defense teacher _has_ stated she’s ‘combat ready’.She could probably take Yang on.Probably.

Although, such a thing still would never gain Penny what she wants, that she knows.A duel would take away Ruby’s ability to _choose_ to stay with her.Penny could never trap Ruby like that.Like she herself feels at times.It wouldn’t be fair nor right.

Penny’s eyes turn to Blake and Yang as they walk in front of her.Jealousy twists in her gut.She tries to subdue it.

Sure, the Princess of Menagerie may be able to consort with a commoner with no one batting an eyelash, but Penny has no such luxury.Atlas, capital to the Kingdom of Mantle, is a place of _tradition._ The outrage, the horror, the amount of nobles who’d try to argue she’d slighted their sons _personally_ by choosing someone of “lesser stock.”If Penny were to ever get what she truly wants, the fragile peace and progress she’d worked so hard for since starting to take over royal duties from her father will collapse.

_That_ isn’t fair either.

* * *

“Something the matter, darling?”King Pietro asks Penny from his seat beside her.“Not enjoying yourself?”

Around them, the ball is in full swing.The dancing begun an hour ago.Penny herself danced the first dance, with Whitley Schnee, who, per their plan, immediately after slipped out to escape to his new room to sleep peacefully for the first time in what must be a very long time.

Much like Penny, Whitley isn’t interested in getting married (to her, at least, the stableboy in the royal barn he’s taken a fancy to is another matter altogether).However, politics dictated they enter into a courtship neither were particularly pleased with.Eventually, they’d expressed this to each other, and later Whitley admitted he really only liked visiting the palace to escape his father.After that, they’d quietly decided to use their ‘courtship’ as a cover to safely relocate Whitley from Schnee Manor to the palace, where he’ll be able to live his life as _he_ chooses.

The only ones who knew the truth of their plan were themselves, and Weiss, who Penny, despite Whitley’s protests, looped in.Not even Ruby knew.Penny had wanted to tell her, but discretion was of the utmost importance.The fewer who knew the truth, the better.

“Penny.”Pietro puts his hand atop his daughter’s, startling her out of her thoughts.“What is it?”

“I…” Penny bites her lip.“I understand my responsibility to the throne, but, sometimes, I just wish…” To be free, like Blake, or like Whitley now.Penny is happy to have helped him out of the restrictions controlling his life.She just wishes she could escape hers too.She sighs.“It’s nothing.”

_I want to ask Ruby to dance._ Penny’s gaze darts back to where her bodyguard is stationed at the wall.She turns her attention to the gathering of visiting dignitaries and nobles. _But, I know I can’t._

_At least not while everyone’s here to watch._


End file.
